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Stay in Golf Shape with Plainfield's Ryan Hager

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Over the course of the coming days and weeks, the New Jersey State Golf Association and New Jersey PGA Section are pleased to bring a series of articles about how golfers can stay in golf shape from their home. In the second of this series, Ryan Hager, PGA Director of Instruction at Plainfield Country Club, shares tips on improving lower body movement.

In golf, power and consistency comes from the ground. The only way to access energy from the ground and transfer it to your club is by using your legs aggressively and correctly. A powerful swing is illustrated by the photo below, where my tailbone stays connected to the foam roller from the start of my swing, all the way to impact. That’s an indication that I’m rotating and shifting correctly.

If my tailbone comes off the foam roller before impact, we call that “early extension”. To fix this, get rid of the club and cross your arms across your chest. Using a foam roller like I have, or a chair, try to rotate to the top of your swing, then down to impact with your butt staying in-tact with the chair. If you have a hard time with that, it could be a mobility issue in your hips or hamstrings. Try the stretches photographed below or contact a fitness professional to improve your lower body movement.

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